Archives

Surf Photography – beginners guide on gear, techniques and tips

surfer in a headstandSurf Photography for Beginners

If you love the outdoors, the ocean and taking pictures, then surf photography can be very rewarding. Photographing surfers is a very unique type of photography. Mainly because it involves taking pictures of an athlete as he/she performs constant moving tricks on a continuous moving background (the waves)!

I’m fortunate that I’ve lived near Surf City Huntington Beach all my life, so it was only natural that I try surf photography. The thrill of photographing surfers in action is like no other.

Whether I shoot from the pier or at the edge of the beach in knee high water, taking pictures of surfers in action never gets old. Each day I go out, I know it’s going to be a good day.

Here are a few tips so that you can get started in surf photography.

Equipment needed for surf photography

Expensive photo equipment is not needed in order to start in surf photography.

A Digital SLR (DSLR) is recommended, although if all you have is a point & shoot (compact) camera, that will do. But keep in mind that all small compact cameras have a short lag between the time you press the shutter and the actual point that the photo is taken. This can make it difficult to time your shot.

If you decide to use a DSLR, it’s not necessary to spend on the more expensive bodies, in fact the less costly ones will work just fine.

Unless you plan on getting in the water, using a waterproof camera or housing for your camera, is not necessary.

Probably the most important equipment needed and often overlooked is the camera lens. Fortunately most of the time, the lighting is going to be bright outside so it’s not necessary (although nice if you have one) to get a fast 2.8 300mm lens. You can get a 200mm zoom lens for a few hundred dollars. This and your camera body will be the most expensive investment when it comes to surf photography.

So here is a list of the minimum equipment that I recommend:

1. DSLR and/or compact camera. (DSLR highly recommended)

2. Zoom or fixed lens that has at least a 200mm focal length.

3. Monopod. Helps if your shooting from the beach.

4. SDHC memory card

5. Hat, sunscreen, and shorts!

surfer at competitionSpecial surf photo techniques

There are several places on a beach one can take surf photos.

- From a pier. This allows you to get up close to the action. Also gives you upper angle as though you’re shooting from a helicopter. The image on the left was taken from a pier.

- From the beach. Walk out to the water, be careful not to go further than knee high so that the waves don’t knock you down. Also be aware of splashing water on your photo equipment. Shooting from this area allows you to take he traditional shots.

- From within the surf, in the water. You’ll need a water proof camera or an underwater housing unit for your camera. Wear a wetsuit and be aware of the surfers, try not to get hit.

Time of day for best photos.

- Mornings provide excellent front lighting in the west coast and decent back lighting in the east coast. Each provide different lighting situations, but overall these are the best times to photograph surfers.

- Afternoons normally produce flat colors, but is still a great time to get out and practice, especially for beginners.

surfer at shoreGet creative

Remember how I said earlier that surf photography is very unique because of the constant moving background? Well, get creative and shoot from different angles. By this I mean, if you’re shooting from the beach, shoot in an angle (south or north) using a pier or other object as your backdrop. Or perhaps the sun is setting or rising behind the surfers, then shoot them as a silhouette.

Get creative with your images. Wake up in the early morning and take photos as the photographers arrive and walk out to the surf.

Shoot often and share your photos with some of the surfers, they enjoy seeing the images photographers take of them. You’ll soon see that your images will improve with more and more practice.

The surfing images shown here were shot with a Nikon D7000 and a Nikon 80-200mm 2.8D AF-ED and 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED IF AF-S.
 Photo’s courtesy of OCSurfPix.com and SoCalDailyPhoto.com

Tags: | Category: Surf Photography, Tutorials | Leave a comment

5 tips to enhance your photography skills

Island photo taken at coolest photo tipsI can read thousands of articles, keep up with the latest photography equipment, but unless I practice my skills, it won’t mean anything. The following five tips help me enhance my photography skills.

Try some of these and I’m sure it will help you too.

1. Theme photo day. At least once a month I dedicate myself to a photo walk with a specific theme. For example, “circular objects”,  I look for and photograph subjects that are round, like an arch, tire, wheel, parts of buildings, windows, anything really. This allows me to be creative with everyday objects we normally overlook.

2. Use a Point & Shoot camera. This allows me to appreciate the advantages of a DSLR. Even the most advanced point & shoot, the Canon G12, which is a great camera, does not match the features found in a full DSLR. One tends to appreciate things when you no longer have it.

3. Use a film camera. It’s a good idea to shoot film every once in a while. Get a roll of 36 exposures and see how your pace will slow down. By pace I mean shooting pace, 36 pictures is not a lot, so you’ll spend more time framing your shot and visualizing the final image before you click the shutter.

4. Teach someone. Whenever possible, I’ll spend time with someone who is new to photography. We’ll go out shooting for fun and talk photography.  I often learn more about my own skills when we teach others.

5. Take photos often. Seems simple, but often days or even weeks can go by without using my camera. So I now make it a habit to take pictures often, at least once a week. Even if it’s only for a short while around the house.

This last tip sounds very obvious, but unless you’re a professional photographer, taking photos on a daily or weekly basis can only happen if you work at it. So I make sure that each week I get out and shoot. This not only keeps my skills as a photographer up, but also enhances them. This was the main reason behind my daily photo blog of Southern California.

Category: Tutorials | Leave a comment

Using Program mode on your digital slr camera

Santa Monica Pier arch sign

Santa Monica Pier arch taken in Program mode

Getting the most out of the Program (P) mode on your digital SLR camera takes a little practice.

I packed up my Nikon D7000 and headed to the Santa Monica Pier. First stop was the entrance to the famous Santa Monica Pier arch. It’s been photographed by millions of tourists and this day felt like they were all there too, but I managed to get this almost clear shot of the arch. I blocked the traffic behind me and took this quick snapshot.

And no, I didn’t use the AE Lock feature, instead I let the camera do it’s thing on “P” mode. As you can see the D7000 was able to properly expose the front of the arch against the bright background. To the naked eye, the sign was so dark it was almost unreadable with the sun behind it. Because I had the ADR (Adaptive D-Lighting) set to “Auto”, it properly exposed the darker areas of the image.

All of the current DSLR’s have these features that enhance the darker areas and produce similar results, so don’t worry if you don’t have this specific camera. You can get similar results on “P” mode if you follow these tips:

1. In low light, make sure your on camera flash is up, most DSLR’s pop up flash will only come up or on if its set to AUTO not Program mode.

2. Avoid shooting subjects with fast movements, by this I don’t mean simple walking or even running, I’m referring to fast sports like basketball, baseball and car races. These types of action shots will be blurred if taken on “P” mode.

3. Keep your shooting mode to single instead of continuous speed. This way if you take a bad photo, you only have one, not three or five taking up precious memory on your card.

4. Program mode is not for variable lighting situations, by this I mean the constant on and off strobe lights at concerts and clubs.

5. Avoid low light situations, depending on your ISO speed, your camera might choose a very slow shutter speed not suitable to be hand held even with a vibration reduction lens.

6. Works best for casual portrait, family or travel photography.

The difference between Auto and Program Mode

Remember that Program mode is different than Auto mode. In Auto mode, the camera decides everything for you, this includes ISO speed, shutter speed, aperture (f-stop) and whether to fire the flash. Basically every possible camera feature is controlled in Auto.

In Program mode, the camera controls the shutter speed and aperture (f-stop) settings. You’ll have control of the ISO, flash, specific exposure and focusing modes, White Balance, Focus Pattern. Depending on the camera, there are several other features you’ll have control in “P” mode.

Tags: | Category: Program Mode, Tutorials | Leave a comment

Las Vegas night photos taken with a Nikon D7000 DSLR

Las Vegas Eiffel Tower taken with Nikon D7000

Las Vegas Eiffel Tower at night taken with a Nikon D7000

Las Vegas provides the perfect place to photograph the colorful night lights with my Nikon D7000 DSLR camera.

My stay last week included two nights at the Paris hotel, right in the center of the strip. The gear for the trip included my D7000, as well as a  AF-S 18-70mm 3.5-4.5G ED Nikon lens. On my side belt clip I carried a Canon G12 as a backup.

Before I left the hotel, I made sure the camera settings on my D7000 was properly configured. These are a few of those settings, some may not seem too important, but I find critical for taking good pictures:

-Picture Control set to Vivid with Sharpening at +1 and Saturation at +1.
-White Balance set to Auto
-Color Space set to sRGB
-Active D-Lighting set to HIGH
-High ISO NR set to OFF
-Image quality set to Fine
-Image size set to Large
-JPEG compression set to Optimal Quality

Some may think it’s a hassle to make these adjustments, but I see it as an advantage. Since when is having full control a hassle? Focus on taking pictures the way you like, not the way the camera manufacturer thinks you should.

Back to the camera, in the two memory slots, I used Patriot LX Series 8gb class 10 SDHC cards. There much less expensive than the Sandisk or Lexar brand cards, and I haven’t had any problem with these so far. There fast, reliable and inexpensive, good enough for me.

The first image of the Eiffel Tower was taken as I walked over a cross bridge, hand held. Camera was set to Shutter Priority, using an ISO of 1000 and f/4.5 at 1/125 sec., and the focal length was 46mm. Other than cropping out the right and left side (panels on the bridge), the image is exactly as the camera recorded it, no color correction or manipulation was done on PS.

The second image below was also shot hand held, using an ISO of 1000, with a focal length of 18mm to get that wide angle. I set the camera to Shutter Priority with a 1/125 shutter speed and f/3.5. I was surprised to see the image so sharp since my lens does not have the vibration reduction feature. At an ISO of 1000, noise on the image is nonexistent. A VR lens would have helped a little at this shutter speed, but with the D7000 performing so well at high ISO’s, I could have easily pushed it to ISO 1600, increased my shutter speed and produced the exact same image. This is why I love the D7000 so much.

I keep reading on other websites that the Nikon D7000 produces dull colors. Sorry, but I have not experienced that issue. Dull or soft colors, along with soft focusing has to do with camera settings. I’m not saying the photographer (amateur or pro) are making errors, however I notice that the D7000 requires more user knowledge about the equipment.

Overall the D7000 performed as expected, perfectly. This camera challenges me to learn more and pay attention to the small details. All the photos taken this past weekend, day and night, were sharp and popped with vibrant colors, and you know why? Because I set up my camera to take them that way! Adjust the settings for your preferences, you’ll love the results. In a later post I’ll share some of the amazing day photos I took with this great camera.


Las Vegas night skyline taken with Nikon D7000

Tags: , | Category: Cameras, Nikon D7000 | Leave a comment